Miserable At Best
by lovinlife83
Summary: Ariadne/Eames. A cute Ari/Eames romance. First chapter's a little sketchy, but I promise it'll get better!  ; read and review please!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So here's an Ari/Eames oneshot. I was listening to this song, "Miserable at Best" by Mayday Parade, and it made me think of writing something like what "happens" in the song, and then this was born. Rated T for Ari's bad language... Yes Ari's. **Warning:** This isn't like Ariadne, but I imagine this would happen to her if she ever fell in love with lovely Mr. Eames. **Disclaimer:** Unfortuantely for me, I don't own Inception. Or the characters. Oh, how I would love to! Oh, and I don't own Miserable At Best by Mayday Parade either... sigh... ): **Please: **REVIEW if you read! Please! They make my day so much better! All you have to do is press the fancy little button and write some words! Or "Favorite" it? That makes me happy too... Anyways, happy reading! (:

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Now that we had become an official team, nothing in my life was certain. Sure, my official residence is still Paris, but where I'm going to be tomorrow is still up in the air. Right now I'm sitting all alone in our apartment in Paris. But, tomorrow Arthur could call and we may end up in China or Australia or somewhere completely random. I don't even know if I'll live to see next week because our current job is so dangerous, it has me scared shitless. I have to admit, the job gives me an adrenaline high some of the time, but the rest of the time it keeps me wide awake at night with a gun by my side.

Now after that paragraph, most people would probably wonder what happened to the innocent little college girl I used to be. What happened to her? Dom Cobb, Saito, Arthur, Yusuf, Shared dreaming…_Inception _happened_._ But well, I'm still me. I'm still Ariadne Reynolds and there's no alien inhabiting my body… as far as I know. Those things didn't change me. They made me a little less innocent, but let's face it, I needed that. So why am I acting so different? That's the constant inconstant of my life.

I'm hopelessly in love with Eames.

Eames? Forger/Liar Extraordinaire?

That's the one.

Okay, so maybe there is an alien inside me, because I have no idea why I love him, or even like him. He cheats on me and drinks too much and lies all the time and is just a huge douche bag. But then he's the most charming little… _erg_ ever. And when he kisses me? I lose my train of thought. I forget what even made me mad in the first place. So he wins me back… then he fucks up and the cycle starts again.

Why don't I just leave him?

Because every time I think about it, or even consider it, all I can think about is the song "Miserable at Best" by Mayday Parade…. "I guess I can live without you, but without you I'll be miserable at best." And that line, the whole song really, just repeats over and over and over in my head until I pretty much talk myself out of leaving him. Because changing my life would make me more miserable than not changing it.

Then the door opens, pulling me from my reverie. I jump up from the recliner, whipping out my handgun and pointing it at the door.

"Whoa," I hear from his stupid-ass British mouth.

And then I look at who just drunkenly stumbled in. Eames… with a stupid little blonde bimbo clinging to him.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I yell, throwing my arms in the air and causing the blonde bombshell to shake and fearfully eye my gun.

"Ari…" Eames starts to say.

"Shut the fuck up," I deadpan.

"Go home. Get a cab and go home," I say to the bimbo in French, handing her money and shoving her out of my apartment, and then slamming the door behind her.

"Ariadne," Eames says seriously, his voice smooth, with no traces of his true drunkenness. But, unfortunately for him, his appearance betrays him. Besides, I'm the one person in the world who sees through his façade.

"What the hell? Goddammit Eames, you're such a fucking loser! Like, what the fuck what that? You bring some random slut back to _our apartment?_ No! That's not okay!" I would have continued, but Eames silenced me with a kiss.

"Get off me!" I yell, pushing him away. That's not going to work. Not this time.

I spin away from him, shaking off his hand, which had grabbed mine. I plop onto the recliner and put my face in my hands.

My thoughts are incoherent and there's this feeling of someone neatly chipping away at my heart.

I don't even realize I'm sobbing hysterically until I feel Eames wrapping his arms around me, whispering to me. "Shh…Ari, love, shh… It'll be okay. It'll all be okay."

"No, (sniffle), it (cough) won't, I mean (sniffle) you haven't (sniffle) even apologized (cough)." I stumble through my words, trying to get them all out before I start crying again.

I can't look at him, it would hurt too much. But I feel his whole body stiffen. Then he relaxed. "I am so sorry, darling. You know I love you," he lied. He couldn't even look at me. He didn't turn my face so he could look into my eyes. That's the only time I know he's not lying. The fact that he doesn't turn my face just makes something break inside me.

"Really? Because you don't show it. You have my heart in a jar and you just throw the jar down stairs and off cliffs. Then you go and pick it up, rub the dirt off and tape it up, just to do it again! And again and again and again and I'm fucking sick of it," I whisper harshly, my words surprising both of us.

He's completely shocked. Not denying what I said. Not yelling. Not moving. Not doing anything besides breathing.

I get up and go pack an overnight bag. "I'll go stay with….someone. I want you gone by tomorrow night," I tell him as I walk to the door.

Before I leave, I take one last look back at Eames. He's kneeling on the ground, staring into space, his beautiful lips painted into an "o" shape. For a second I feel bad. But then I think of everything he's done and I decide that being miserable without him _has _to be better than being miserable with him. I take a deep breath and shut the door to both the apartment and my life with Eames.


	2. Chapter 2: Jar of Hearts

**A/N: So, I know this was supposed to be a one-shot, but someone asked for more so here it is! I'm thinking of doing another chapter, too. But, since I got four reviews on the last one, four or five reviews for this one would probably motivate me to write a conclusion(; This chapter is definitely better on the swears, there's only one and even that's a minor swear. As usual, I don't own Inception, Ariadne, Eames, or "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri, however, I do own Rhea and David and this cute little story! ...hmm... what else? Oh, just an FYI, you pronounce Rhea "Ree-ya", which is why her nickname is "Ree"...oh, and please review! I mean seriously, it takes you like 30 seconds to press the button and write a little review, so please, just spend an extra 30 seconds for me! Thanks!...and I think that's it! I'm going to stop rambling now. Happy reading! Oh, there's a little French speaking, but I'll have a little glossary at the bottom, no need to spoil it, right?(; Okay, now, happy reading!**

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7 Months Later

"Ariadne?" A voice on the other end of my phone screams. "I can't do this! I cannot do this, I…I…I'm freaking out!"

I sigh. "Rhea, are you breathing or are you just ranting?" I ask.

"If I'm alive don't you think I'm breathing?" Rhea yells.

I sigh. "Rhea. What's the problem? You love Dave, Dave loves you, you've been together for years, and you'll be fine. Okay?" I said impatiently. This is only Rhea's fifth panic attack this week.

"But what if he's like cheating on me or something?" Rhea says, loud, but not yelling. My eardrums thank her, but my heart doesn't.

"You would know, Ree. You would know."

"Are you sure?"

"Rhea? Go have a glass of wine and curl up with Dave. You'll know the answer," I advise. Because you know when someone's cheating on you. They don't look at you the same, they don't act the same. They'll come home late, disheveled, and smelling strongly of someone else's perfume. Then the next day they treat you like you're queen of the world.

"Okay, Ari. Thanks. You're the best Maid of Honor ever," Rhea says fervently.

"Yes, I know. Bye, Ree."

"Bye, Ari!"

Then the line's dead.

I sigh, wrapping my sweatshirt tighter around my small waist and curling up into a ball on my couch. I grab the remote for my iHome off the coffee table and switch it on, causing my iPod to go on random. "Jar of Hearts" comes on.

_No, I can't take one more step towards you… because all that's waiting is regret. Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore? You lost the love I love the most._

The song reminds me that I spend so much time worrying about Rhea and the wedding and Sabrina and all these people, but I never worry about me and what happened with Eames until the lights go out and I have to go to bed alone. It doesn't help that I have a pile of unopened letters from him. There are six; he sends one every month since the day after I left. I don't know how he gets them to me, but then again, Arthur and all his computer skills would be able to find me easily. They always say: Open when the time is right. You'll know. -Eames.

_I've learned to live half alive, and now you want me one more time._

Part of me wants to open those letters, just to see what he could possibly have to say for himself. But I can't. Because it would break the wall I've built. I can't read them because I'd cry and have a meltdown. I can't do that now; Sabrina's pregnant and Rhea's getting married in two days. The rehearsal dinner's tomorrow. I'm afraid. Apparently Dave's best man is finally flying in from England. For a second I think that maybe his best man is Eames. I don't know why. But I do, and after I quickly push and shove the thought out of my head. And on that note, I promptly turn the music off and go to my bed to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning I allow myself to sleep in, and I don't wake up until twelve. So, I decide to go shopping and get myself a new dress for the rehearsal dinner. By the time I get home with my beautiful new dress, it's already time to get ready. I straighten my hair, something I've been doing a lot lately. I pull most of it into a bun but I let my side-bang-things and some pieces of hair fall out. I apply make-up and put on my new deep blue dress. V-neck, flow-y, and to my knees. Simple yet beautiful. I slip on silver heels and step in front of my full-length mirror. And I have no idea who's staring back at me. Her eyes are heavily darkened and her hair is straightened and pulled back and she looks great but she's not me. I would have flats on and my hair would be in natural waves and I wouldn't have eye make-up on. But sadly, this is what _he _made me into. He was always worrying about his appearance and he put a weird pressure on me to feel the same way. So now I look like this. I don't like it. Rhea and Dave and Sabrina and Tom seem to like it… But for some reason they're not enough.

My phone rings. And I know who it is, because who else could possibly be calling me right now. "Hello?"

"Ariadne! Oh my God, it's so horrible! The colors are wrong and oh my God! How quickly can you get here?" Rhea yells into the phone. I'm starting to wonder if she thinks she needs to yell into the phone for me to hear her or something.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," I say, flipping the phone closed before she can freak out anymore. I grab my purse and check it's contents before throwing on my coat and running out the door.

* * *

"Okay, bridezilla, breathe," I hear Dave say with a chuckle. "The colors are the same."

"No they're not!" I hear my sister argue.

"Oh, my God, Rhea, no one will know the difference!" Dave argues back as I enter the room for the rehearsal dinner.

"Okay, okay, everyone needs to breathe. Let me see the damn color," I interject before they can get in a screaming match.

"ARI! Oh thank God, come look at this…this…this…horribleness!" Rhea sighs dramatically, pointing to the…no. She's not pointing to the flowers. Oh good God. She is.

"The flowers?" I deadpan.

"They're not _just _flowers; they're the centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner!"

I look at them. They look like the right color to me. "I fail to see the issue, Rhea."

Rhea sighs. "It's Butterscotch. It's supposed to be Buttercup."

I look at Dave, just to make sure she's serious. By the look on his face I know she is. "Rhea?"

"Yes?"

"Stop. You're being completely ridiculous," I say. "_C'est magnifique. La couleur est tres bien, n'est-ce pas?"_

Rhea looks at me for a few seconds. Then she looks at Dave. _"Ci, la couleur est tres bien, mais la couleur est faux!" _I stare at her for a few seconds with my eyebrows raised. "Fine." She says, storming off in the general direction of the bathroom.

"Thank you Ari. If I said that, my head would have been cut off," Dave whispers to me despite Rhea being out of earshot.

I laugh. "You know how Rhea is, David. Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask with a smile.

"Nope, wedding's off!" He says, throwing his arms in the air and trying not to laugh.

"The wedding's off? Damn, David, you should have told me before I flew here all the way from London!" A horribly, horribly, _horribly _familiar voice says in that bleeping British accent.

"Will! You made it! Good to see you!" David says enthusiastically, going up to "Will" and giving him a guy-hug.

"Good to see you too!" 'Will' says.

"Oh, this is Rhea's sister—" Dave starts. "Ariadne," Eames finishes.

"You two know each other?" Dave asks, looking confused. His eyes flicker from Eames to me and back again.

"That's an understatement," I say, allowing myself to say something only because I know I won't just start swearing.

Dave starts looking back and forth between us. "Ari is the coworker I told you about," Eames admits to David.

Dave's eyes widen and his eyebrows rise up. He stares at the two of us again. "I'm going to go check on Rhea," he says quickly before sprinting in the direction of the bathrooms.

The silence between Eames and I is deafening. I sit down on a chair, staring at the floor in front of me. "Ari—"

"Oh, so now you know my name?" I snap, making faces at the floor.

"Don't think anything of it—"

"Don't think anything of it? You two have been friends since you were what, 10? 12? And you didn't even tell him my name? We were dating for 6 months!" I pause, and then I look up at him. "Did you _ever_ consider me a girlfriend? Or was I just a live-in fling?"

Eames just looks at me, speechless. He doesn't look like himself. His hair is so short it could be considered a buzz-cut and either he's been extremely lazy with shaving, or he's trying to grow a beard. Of course, his suit is impeccable though.

"I didn't know your first name was William, either," I whisper.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne," he says.

"'I'm sorry' isn't going to cut it, _William_," I say harshly.

Rhea comes running over to us. I stand up. "Ariadne, I'm so sorry; I didn't know! You call him Eames and Dave calls him William and I never made the connection… Oh, what a mess!" Rhea pulls me into a hug. She's hyperventilating and her hair's a little messed up.

"Oh, don't you worry about it, Ree. I'll be fine," I say. I gently push her away, fixing her hair. I know exactly what to do because we have exactly the same hair. We're not twins, just sisters, but we still look a lot alike. Her face is a little more angled than mine and she has blue eyes, not brown, but other than that we're pretty much identical.

She takes a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," I say, putting a fake smile on my face.

Rhea studies me for a few seconds. "Okay," she finally says. "I'm going to go check on the food." Rhea leaves and goes to talk to one of the people who work here.

"You're very protective of her," Eames says softly.

"She's my little sister," I defend.

Eames is quiet for a few seconds. "I didn't know you have a sister," he says almost silently.

I think about it for a few seconds. "She stayed in the States when I moved to Paris," I say before people start piling in to the room, and Eames and I are separated.

* * *

When the rehearsal dinner is over, I take off my dumb heels and put my jacket on. I'm about to catch the elevator to my room when I hear someone whisper _Je t'aime _-with a perfect French accent—in my ear. I turn around but see no one. Then I see Eames walking down the hall, towards the doors that bring you out to downtown Boston.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. With one last wistful glance towards Eames, I get into the elevator and hit the "8" button. _Mais, je ne t'aime plus._

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**A/N: For those of you who don't know French**, _C'est magnifique. La couleur est tres bien, n'est-ce pas?_ **means **_It's great. The color is very nice, no? _**and **_Ci, la couleur est tres bien, mais la couleur est faux! _**means **_Yes, the color is very nice, but the color is wrong! _**and **_Je t'aime _**means **_I love you _**and lastly, **_Mais, je ne t'aime plus _**means**_ But, I don't love you anymore. _


	3. Chapter 3: Little Lion Man

I open the door to my hotel room and I see something on the bed. I never had time to unpack, so there shouldn't be anything out. I walk over and pick it up.

_Open when you think you should. I'm sorry, love _is written in Eames's scrawl on the front of the envelope. Then I look at the date on my phone. It's October 9. Seven months after I walked out on Eames.

I take the envelope and shove it in the front pocket of my suitcase with the others. Then I take a shower and quickly fall asleep.

I wake up in the morning and go to Rhea's room where the hairdresser will be coming. I sit down in a chair and try not to fall asleep as Rhea nervously talks to the wedding planner.

I sigh, looking myself over in the mirror. It reminds me too much of that time Eames and I went to some ball-thing. I don't know what it was. All I know was that we were dressed up and I wore a similar dress. It annoys me. What also annoys me is the fact that he's the Best Man and I'm the Maid of Honor. We have to walk down the isle together. And dance together. And act like I even somewhat like him. This is going to be difficult. But it's for Rhea. Yeah, let's go with that. It's for Rhea. My baby sister. The one I raised when our mother died. The one I helped through our father's death. I was doing this for her. All for Rhea.

There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," I offer. Rhea and Janice, the wedding planner, don't acknowledge me. Gina and Emily, the other two bridesmaids, stand over in the corner ooh-ing and ahh-ing over their dresses.

I open the door and groan. "What, Eames?"

"Came to check on the blushing bride, darling," Eames tells me, pushing me aside and coming into the room. I shut the door and follow Eames.

"David wanted me to come check on you. How are you?" he asks. The bridesmaids in the corner giggle and make stupid eyes at him.

Rhea smiles at him. "I'm fine, thank you William. Tell him I said not to worry, please?"

Eames nods gallantly. "Of course."

"Okay, now it's time for William to go," I say pointedly.

"Aw, but I just got here!" he whines.

I shoot him a bored look. "Eames."

"Ariadne," he says, pouting at me.

"That stopped working a long time ago," I say before turning around and walking out of the room.

I lean against the railing outside of Rhea's room, looking down at the lobby and taking a deep breath. I try to run a hand through my hair, only to realize that would completely ruin my elaborate up-do, so I just turn around and lean against the railing.

Suddenly, Eames appears next to me. "AH!" I yell, jumping a mile.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly.

I don't say anything, I just fold my arms across my chest.

"For everything," he adds.

I glance at him. "You should be."

"I made a mistake," he offers.

"Really, because I didn't know that," I say sarcastically.

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated, Ariadne," Eames scolds me.

"Your cheating was not appreciated, William," I shoot back.

Eames opens his mouth to say something, but he closes it again.

We both stand there, silent.

"I miss you," he admits softly.

"I didn't leave by choice, Eames." I don't say that I miss him too, but we both acknowledge my unspoken words.

"Yes, you did."

"No. You didn't give me a choice," I say, my voice ringing with finality.

"I _am_ sorry," he tells me.

I sigh. "I know, Eames. I know you are. But I can't forgive you. Not yet, at least."

"I guess I'll take that. I need to be going downstairs. I'll see you soon, love." Eames kisses my cheek and then he's gone.

I find my way to a chair and I sit there. And then I know what I need to do.

I get up and start walking to the elevator.

"Ariadne?" Rhea calls, sticking her head out of her room.

"I'll meet you downstairs!" I call back, stepping into the elevator and going down a floor to my room.

I rip open my suitcase pocket and I find the first letter Eames wrote me. The one I found waiting for me when I woke up in a hotel room the morning after I left.

_Open when the time is right. You'll know. -Eames._

_Ariadne:_

_I don't know what my problem is anymore. I can never remember the nights when I wake up in the morning. The alcohol is killing me, I think. As soon as it gets into my system I feel this...this relief. But at the same time, it's not a relief, it's a decaying want. Darling, I can't explain this, I don't know how, I can't seem to put it into words. You probably couldn't relate anyways, you never were a heavy drinker. But in the daytime, I feel like I need to have that one drink just to get through the day. And by the end of the day I'm so worn out I need those drinks to get me through the nights. Then I blackout. Or at least, I don't remember what happens. But, I can tell you nothing good happens._

_I'm not proud of it, not by any means. I think I'm going to go to meetings or rehab or something for it. I need help. And the first step is admitting it...right? I don't expect for you to forgive me overnight. I could never ask you to do that. Just know I love you and I don't think that will ever change. I know now you doubt that, but one day, whenever that day may be, you'll see that I love you more than life itself. I can't say that I'm doing this for you. Because I'm not. I'm doing this for me. However, I'm doing this because of you. Because when you left and told me to leave it shattered my world. I didn't move for at least an hour. Then I got up. I threw a cup across the room. And as I cleaned up the millions of pieces of the cup, I realized that was what I must of been doing to you every time I cheated. I knew you knew I cheated. You knew I knew you knew I cheated. We both knew, we just never said anything because it would shatter our world. It would change everything._

_I don't know if this letter changes anything, Ariadne. I hope it shows you that I'm trying. For me, but because of you. You're the driving force. I love you._

_Eames._

_"But it was not your fault but mine. And it was your heart on the line. I really fucked it up this time, didn't I my dear?" - Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. But you knew that because they're your second favorite band..._

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**A/N: Hey guys! Here it is! There will be another chapter, maybe even one after that, but I need some feedback on what should happen: should they get back together or not? Let me know! If you don't, I'll decide, but then you may not like my choice... I don't own Inception, Ariadne, Eames, or Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons (except in my dreams!) I don't have much to say about this chapter, I know it was kind of uneventful. It's more an insight to Eames' side of the story. Don't forget to review please! (remember, four for more! hey that rhymes!) Merrrryyy Christmas! /Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/whatever you celebrate!**


	4. Chapter 4: Fall For You

_The best thing about tonight is that we're not fighting. Could it be that we have been this way before? I know you don't think that I am trying, I know you're wearing thin down to the core. But hold your breath because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you over again, don't make me change my mind. I won't live to see another day, I swear its true, because a girl like you is impossible to find, you're impossible to find._

_-Secondhand Serenade, Fall For You_

The elevator door dings and I step in. Eames was addicted to the drinks… but I knew that, didn't I? I had that little voice in the back of my head saying "Maybe he can't help it." I just never listened to the voice. Because he must have been able to do something, he seems so sure of himself. But then again, maybe that arrogance is just a façade… And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Last night I never saw him even near the bar. He didn't even take champagne when David's parents made a cute little toast. I remember how hurt he looked when I refused to even let him talk. Or how he accepted it when I said that maybe I can forgive him one day. The old Eames would have demanded that it happen immeadiately.

The elevator dings again and I step out, and try to run down the hall to the wedding reception, but I run right into Eames. As I'm falling he catches me in his arms.

"Are you okay, love?" he asks, his blue-gray eyes staring into mine.

I'm about to answer him, to tell him I read the letter, but Rhea sees me. "ARIADNE WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN I'M KINDA FREAKIN' OUT OVER HERE!" she screams dramatically.

I sigh, and Eames gives me an apologetic look. He helps me up and I rush to Rhea. "Listen, I'm here, I'm fine, and the wedding is staring in 30 seconds. You look beautiful, the ceremony is going to be perfect and you are going to stop freaking out, okay?" I look straight into her eyes.

Her lips form a smile. "Okay, Ari. Emily? James? You guys are first."

The first bridesmaid and usher go out, accompanied by some random song that I don't know. Then Gina and Brad go down.

"Ariadne," Eames calls, giving me a breathtaking smile and offering me his arm. I gladly take it. Then I realize I have butterflies in my stomach. And it's not because I have the eyes of 100 people on me. It's because Eames is holding my arm. He's smiling at me. He's near me. It's making my head swim. But as soon as he takes my arm, it's time to separate again. I stand there, looking down the isle as my baby sister, only 22, walks down the isle all by herself because our parents died when she was only 16. Her smile is wide, and even from here, I can see her shining blue eyes. I don't even realize I'm crying until Eames is reaching around Dave to give me a handkerchief. I accept it with a smile. Dave comes over and kisses my cheek before he takes Rhea's hand and she hands me her flowers, which I just give to Gina.

David and Rhea exchange their vows and before I know it they're merrily walking down the isle. Eames offers his arm again, and I can't help but wonder what it be like to marry Eames. I imagine him in a classic tuxedo as I walk down the isle in a flowing white dress.

* * *

Now it's the reception and my great-aunt Sue is going on about people I don't know. I look over to the bar and Eames catches my eye. He raises his drink to me. Wait, he has a drink in his hand? "Excuse me, Aunt Sue, but there's someone I need to speak with," I say sweetly before I make what seems like a long walk over to Eames.

He smiles at me. Not his knowing smirk, but his wide smile, and I can't help but smile back. "Can I buy you a drink, Darling?" he asks, pointing to the bartender.

I look at him for a few seconds. "I'll just have a coke, thank you," I say to the bartender. Eames pays and hands me my drink before taking me out to the balcony attached to the room we were in. The sun is setting, so only half of it casts light on the wide open landscape.

"Beautiful night, eh?" Eames asks.

"Really? You're going to just talk like nothing's wrong?"

"Ari, please, I do not want to fight," Eames' eyebrows are bent, and his eyes are staring into mine.

I turn away, looking at the sunset. "Neither do I," I whisper honestly.

He doesn't say anything after that.

"I read your first letter before the ceremony...Eames, what are you drinking?" I ask the question that's been nagging me.

"It's Sprite," he says. I breathe a sigh of relief. "I've been without a drink for 6 months," he assures me, pulling a chip out of his pocket. I reach for it, to look at it, to read what it says. He quickly pulls it away. "I can't let you touch it," he gives me a meaningful look.

"Ah. How does it work?" When I ask him, it reminds me that I can't even remember the last time I checked my totem. I take the bishop out of my purse and flick it over. I take a deep breath.

"I look at it, and I just know. I can tell if I am in a dream normally. It feels different to me."

I flick over my bishop over again, comforted by the noise it makes when it falls against the concrete railing. I put the bishop away and take a sip of my soda. Neither of us say anything for a while.

"I'm sorry," I say, not looking at him, but looking at the sunset.

"Why?" The confusion in his voice is evident.

"I should have read the letter earlier... I could have helped you."

"No, you could not have. I needed to do it alone. But thank you."

"For what?" Now it was my turn to be confused.

"I would not have done anything about it if you had not left," Eames tells me. He places his finger under my chin and pulls my face upwards so he can look into my eyes. "Thank you," he says quietly, more seriously.

A small smile spreads across my face. "You are very welcome," I whisper back.

Eames is leaning closer to me, and we're not far apart now. But a "woops" from Emily causes us to jump apart. She, and whoever she's with, turn around and hurriedly go back to the reception. Eames and I sigh and take a sip from our sodas.

Suddenly Eames turns around, looking into the reception hall. "Ariadne?" he asks.

"Yes?"

"Will you dance with me?" He holds out his hand to me and my heart starts to pound in my chest.

I turn around to look at Eames. He has a slight smile and he's looking at me with hopeful eyes. I smile up at him and place my hand in his. "I'd love to," I answer honestly.

Eames leads me to the dance floor where Rhea and David, along with other couples, are dancing to the slow music. Without warning, Eames spins me around and pulls me against him. I giggle and rest my head against his chest. "You look beautiful, by the way," he whispers into my hair.

"Thank you. You look very nice in a tie, if I do say so myself. You should wear one more often," I advise with a laugh.

"No thank you, love. I feel much too much like Arthur right now. Next thing you know I will have a stick up my arse," he says seriously.

As I laugh, I catch Rhea's eye, who smiles approvingly at me. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?" I say back to him as I smile at Rhea.

He chuckles. When his laughter dies off he nuzzles his face in my hair. I take a deep breath, just wanting to stay here forever.

But sadly, after about another minute, the song ends.

"Well, I believe it's time for my toast," Eames announces relunctly, kissing my hair and staying there a couple seconds too long. Then he walks away to where the DJ has the microphone waiting. I lean against the wall near him, taking the chute of champagne a waiter offers me.

"Eh, excuse me?" Eames says, trying to talk into the microphone. "I believe we will be eating soon, so I would like to make my toast before we begin." He stops so everyone can locate their seats. I just stay where I am, not trusting him to not say something stupid or rude.

Once people stop moving he begins talking again. "For those of you who do not know me, my name is William Eames, and I am David's Best Man. And for those of you who do know me, well don't I look great tonight?" I see David shake his head and chuckle. I chuckle a little too, because he really does look great. But I'm biased. "I met David at a boarding school in England when we were 12. And at first, he was the little American lad with argyle sweaters and too-tight Bermuda shorts. And now? Er, well now..." Eames stops to stratch his head. "Now he wears pants," Eames concludes. I laugh and shake my head. He has a point. "But, hey, he got Rhea to fall for him, so he must be doing something right. See, you have this cute 22-year-old and then... Well, then you have David, so either he qualifies as either very smart or very lucky.

"But, all kidding aside, he really is a great guy. He has always been there for me, and I would not be six months sober right now without him. Or coffee. Coffee helps too. Anyways, Rhea, he has always been there for me, so I am sure he will always be there for you as well.

"Now, Rhea," he addresses. She looks at him expectantly. "I met you for the first time yesterday. So I cannot say much towards your character, other than the fact that you make a lovely Bridezilla." He smiles, as Rhea glares at him. "Kidding!" he tells her. "I am kidding. But, honestly, if you are anything like your beautiful sister Ariadne, then you must be absolutely delightful. I mean, you look exactly like her, so clearly looks run in the family."

And there it is. I knew he would say something like that.

I go up and take the microphone from Eames. "Don't mind him, he doesn't know when to shut up. Before I allow you to conclude, William, I would like to say something to my sister. Rhea? Mom and Dad would be very proud of you right now. I know I am." Rhea blows me a kis, so I blow one back as I hand the microphone back to Eames.

"Here's to Rhea, the Greek goddess of something I cannot remember at the moment, and David, the American god of argyle sweaters," he concludes his speech by holding his Sprite up in the air with a proud smile.

I elbow him, but laugh and repeat "To Rhea and David."

* * *

**A/N: yaaay! here it is! please forgive any grammar errors, I've had the flu the past three days and my head's still a little fuzzy. uhm... yes, there's going to be another chapter after this but I have no idea what's gonna happen. Just remember, reviews make me go faster! (that sounds wrong!..ANYWAYS) Remember, reviews are a GREAT christmas present to me! (; so, per usual, I do not own Inception, Ariadne, Eames, or Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade. Hope you enjoyed! I'm gonna go back to bed now, biebie (: don't forget to hit the review button on your way out! hope everyone had a better christmas than I did!**


	5. Chapter 5: Goodnight Moon

_And don't go to bed yet, love, I think it's too early, and we just need a little time to ourselves. If my wall-clock tells me that it's four in the morning, I'll give it hell. 'Cause I've been trying way too long to try and be the perfect song when our hearts are heavy burdens we shouldn't have to bear alone. So goodnight moon, and goodnight you, when you're all that I think about, all that I dream about, how'd I ever breathe without a goodnight kiss from goodnight you?_

_-Goodnight Moon, Go Radio_

Rhea is laughing as she and David talk, looking over their wedding gifts. I'm so tired I can't stand anymore. There's no one left in the hall besides the wedding party, so I decide to go up to my room. I'm anxious to read the rest of Eames' letters.

I get up, taking off my heels and collecting my purse, checking its contents. "Ari," Eames greets, sitting in the seat next to me.

"Hi Eames," I smile.

"Heading upstairs?" he observes.

"I am. What about you?"

"I believe I will be in a few minutes. I need to talk to David."

"Would you like me to wait-" But then I am interrupted by the one person I thought for sure wasn't coming to the wedding.

"Ariadne!" Arthur calls.

"ARTHUR?" I ask excitedly, dropping my purse and heels and running over to him. He engulfs me in a hug-he really does give amazing hugs. "What are you doing here? Rhea said you weren't coming!"

"It's a surprise dummy, shh!" Arthur says with a smirk like it's the most obvious thing in the world. I roll my eyes. "Let's go surprise the baby," he says, quietly walking up behind Rhea, motioning for David not to say anything. I follow behind. Arthur gets close to Rhea's ear then whispers "BOO!"

Rhea shrieks. "ARTHUR!" She screams, jumping onto him.

He laughs. "Hey, Ree, how's it goin'?" he asks casually. I laugh. When Rhea finally gets off of him, he shakes David's hand. "Congratulations," he says.

"Ari, did you know about this?" Rhea asks, her eyes alit with the excitement of her older brother.

"No, I didn't. I'm just as surprised as you," I tell her. I'm not sure if she believes me, but she does accept my answer.

"Well, I'm going to go get changed, but I'll meet you guys for a few drinks at the bar!" Rhea announces excitedly. She takes David's hand and drags him away.

"To the bar?" Arthur asks, holding his hand out in the direction of the bar.

"To the bar," I confirm. "Let me just invite-" But when I turn around, Eames is gone. "He's gone," I say.

"He left when we were hugging," Arthur tells me.

"But.. Why?" I ask, hurt. I grudgingly put on my heels.

"Does he know?" Arthur asks.

I stop. "Oh, shit. Where's my purse?" I look around but can't find it. "That son of a bitch. He took my purse!" I groan. "I have to go, I'll catch up with you tomorrow?" I ask hopefully.

"Brunch at 11?" Arthur asks. It's creepy how much we're alike; brunch is my favorite.

"Sounds good!" I depart with a hug and a kiss on my cheek. "Tell Ree I'm sorry!"

I open the door to my room, hoping Eames will be there waiting for me, sitting on the couch or maybe lounging on the bed. He's not. I sigh. I take off my heels and throw them in a corner, not really caring where they go. I try to get my face wash out of my suitcase, but all of Eames's letters fall out. I don't look at them; I just grab the wash and my pajamas and lock myself in the huge bathroom.

I don't feel like taking a shower, so I scrub all the makeup off my face and take my hair down from its elaborate up-do. I put on my nightgown and then I emerge from the bathroom. I pick up the letters from the ground and take them to my large bed.

I take a deep breath, and then open Letter #2.

I read through them quickly, and before I know it, I'm crying as I try to open Letter #7.

_Ariadne:_

_There is not much to say in this letter. It has all been said. Right now you are downstairs enjoying the dinner rehearsal for your little sister. You look amazing, but so un-you. I have this nagging feeling that I completely changed you. I miss the old Ariadne, the curious student I met on the Fischer job. The one I comforted when she felt horrible after we successfully performed inception. I miss her, but I realize I am the reason she is gone. I'm sorry._

_I miss you._

_William Eames._

**Knock, knock, knock.**

I go and answer the door without looking through the peep hole. I hope it's Eames.

"Ariadne," Eames greets, studying my red eyes.

"Eames," I breathe with a wide smile. "Come in," I say, not ask, opening the door wider.

"Thanks," he responds politely as he breezes by me. He changed since the wedding, now he's in sweatpants-my favorite sweatpants-and a T-shirt.

I close the door and sit on the couch, looking at him expectantly. Eames is staring the letters I left strewn about the bed. He picks up Letter #7, looks over it, and then puts it down again.

"I just came to give you your purse," he says quietly, placing it on the bed and walking towards the door.

I jump up, leaning against the wall. "We both know that's a load of crap. Why'd you steal my purse?"

"It is not. Someone left their purse and I took it to give back, but then I realized it was yours and came up to give it to you."

"You couldn't come up with a better lie?" I ask. Eames keeps staring at the door, not even acknowledging I said anything. "Face it, Eames. Face the truth. We both know you stole my purse just so you could come up here and make sure I'm not with Arthur."

"No, I did not, Ariadne," he lies.

"Bullshit," I tell him.

He turns around and stares at me with hard eyes. "You are stubborn," he says.

"You already knew that," I tell him. He shrugs, but goes to the door. "Wait!"

His hand falls off the door handle and he turns around. "What?" he says, defeated.

"He's my brother."

"Who is?" Eames asks, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Arthur," I tell him.

Eames rolls his eyes. "You too kissed in the Fischer job. I saw you."

"That was before we found out."

"Are you really trying to pull this right now?" he asks.

"I'm not trying to pull anything, Eames! When we were hanging out there were a lot of similarities, it was creepy. We were the same age and we have the same birthday and we were both born in Boston. When we were babies we had blonde hair and we're both stubborn and curious and hate holidays because he never had a family and the holidays just remind me my family's dead. So Yusuf did a DNA test. He's my twin brother my parents gave up for adoption because they were barely ready for one kid, never mind two." Eames just stands there, defeated. "Go ask him if you don't believe me," I tell him, going over to my bed and cleaning up all the letters, putting them back in their envelopes. As I'm putting an elastic band around the envelopes, I feel arms around my waist. Eames nuzzles his face into my neck.

"I'm sorry," he says against my skin, his breath making my skin crawl. He kisses my neck.

I rest my head against his for a second. "You couldn't have known," I tell him.

He lifts his head and kisses my cheek. "Goodnight," he whispers, spinning around and heading for the door.

I turn around and grab his hand. He turns around, his unspoken question evident in his eyes. "Stay," I tell him.

Eames smiles. "Okay."

I climb into the left side of the bed, because that's always been my side. I watch Eames undress down to his boxers. "Enjoying the show, love?" he asks as he pulls his shirt over his head.

"Since when do you have a six-pack?" I ask instead of answering his question.

"I have had a lot of time on my hands," he answers as he climbs into bed.

"Ah. Goodnight," I say, turning away from him and getting into a comfortable position.

"Nice try," he commends, before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me towards him. I laugh, and flip over, causing our legs to get mixed together.

"I thought so too," I say with a smile and a giggle.

I snuggle into his chest, getting comfortable. God, I miss this.

"Ariadne?" Eames asks quietly.

"Yes?" I say, looking up at him.

He steals a kiss. "Now I will be able to sleep. Goodnight."

I shake my head and snuggle back into my position. "Goodnight, William."

* * *

**A/N: The chapter has been unleashed. I started to write a paper for school, and then BAM, an hour later I have this! So, yes, there is going to be another chapter after this. This story just doesn't want to end, I guess! I can't say I mind, writing Eames is fun sometimes :) So Arthur's here! Yaaay! I love him and his uptight character, so I needed to incorporate him somehow! (I hope ya'll don't mind, I know the whole twin thing is a bit of a stretch.) Anyways, the next chapter will have family fun time with Arthur, Eames, Ari, Rhea, and David. I think that will be nice and interesting :) Maybe then an epilogue after that? Eh, we'll see! Unforunately, I don't own Inception, Ari, Eames, or Arthur. Please review? Review for.. review for Arthur to stick around! Yeah, Arthur says that he'll stay for a while if you write me reviews. JUST KIDDING. But legit, you really should review! Happy New Year's!**


	6. Chapter 6: Heaven

**A/N: Hellloo, heello, hellooo!(Sorry, Count Olaf moment. I'm good now.) So, this is not the Family Fun Time it was supposed to be (AWWW!) but! (there's a but!) This chapter kinda took its own little path to get to breakfast, SOOO Family Fun Time will have to wait until next chapter! This chapter just like came to me at 2 in the morning Thursday while I was watching Inception(GOD, I heart Eames) So it's up waaaayyyy earlier than expected. No promises for next chapter, sorry ): So! You should listen to "Heaven" by Driver Side Impact while you read cuz thats what I did!(There's no lyrics, it's all acoustical and stuff) Wow I need to stop talking. This is what happens when I try to run on 3 hours sleep. Okay, wrapping it upp: I don't own Ari, Arthur, Eames, or Inception ): ): BUT I OWN RHEA, DAVID, AND THIS STORY! YAAAY! hahahaha review! pleaseyplease review? Hope everyone had as bomb a new year's eve as I diddd! :D p.s.-sorry if there are mistakes, I was really excited to get this up!**

* * *

"_In a dream your mind functions more quickly, therefore, time seems to feel more slow."_

"_This, Ariadne, would be a kick."_

"_Well dreams, they feel real while we're in them, right? It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange. Let me ask you a question: you…you never really remember the beginning of a dream, do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what's going on… So tell me, how did we get here?"_

"_Just raw, infinite subconscious! Nothing is down there! Except for whatever might have been left behind by anyone sharing the dream who's been trapped there before!"_

"_She had locked something away, something deep inside her. A truth that she had once known but chose to forget. Limbo became her reality._

"_You're so certain of your world, of what's real. Do you think he is? Or do you think he's as lost as I was?"_

"_She was possessed by an idea, this one very simple idea that changed everything. That our world wasn't real, that she needed to wake up to come back to reality. That, in order to get back home, we had to kill ourselves."_

"_How could you understand? Do you know what it is to be a lover? To be half of a whole?"_

"_COBB! COBB!" "MAL! STOP! MAL!" "WAKE ME UP!" "MAL, NO! NO! MAL!"_

I wake up with a start, gasping for breath and looking around frantically. Once I see Eames' sleeping face I take a deep breath. My bishop is still in my purse, so I hurriedly get up and take it out. I knock it over.

_Reality._

I take a long deep breath. _MAL, NO!_ keeps ringing through my head. I want to scream; the memories won't go away. But I can't wake up Eames. Tears roll down my cheeks but I do nothing to stop them. I see Eames' sweatpants so I take them and put them on under my short silky nightgown. I take another deep breath. The soft fabric runs against my smooth legs as I sit down on the couch. I pull my legs up into my chest and rest my head on them. I take another deep breath as I toy with my bishop in my hands, making sure the weight stays the weight it should be.

"Ariadne?" Eames asks tiredly, saving me from my reverie. He finally finds me and his eyes lock on my bishop. He sits up in the bed, immediately perking up. "Ariadne, are you okay?" he asks seriously, cautiously getting up and starting to walk towards me.

I get up and run into his arms. He takes a couple steps backwards, surprised by my force, but holds me close. "Nightmares, love?" he asks, regarding the sweatpants I have on. I always used to put them on after I had nightmares.

"The memories won't go away," I say, burying my head into his broad chest.

"Of what?"

"Inception. Mal. Dying for the first time."

"Ah. It is quite a bit, doing a 3-layer inception as your first job," he agrees.

"Do you think we ruined him?" I ask nervously, referring to Robert Fischer.

"No, we did not. I have been keeping loose tabs on him. He is perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive, love," he assures me, rubbing my back in circles.

I squeeze him for a second and then I loosen as a silent thank you. He kisses my head as a silent your welcome.

"Is there any chance of me getting my sweatpants back? I need to get back to my room and I cannot do it in these," Eames says, holding out the side of his boxers. "Plus, it is bloody freezing in here." I smile mischievously and run around to the other side of the bed.

We look at each other with smirks on our faces. I'm smirking because right now I have the upper hand. He's smirking because he's going to win. It's inevitable. And the son of a bitch knows that I know it.

He starts to come around the bed, so I run over the bed, resulting in us switching sides. Now he has me cornered. Shit. Eames smirks deviously. He starts walking around slowly, and I have nowhere to go. I try to back up, but I just end up hitting the wall. Eames starts coming at me so I try to run over the bed again. But he knows my move before I make it so he easily grabs my waist and throws me down on the bed. Then he leans on top of me.

He kisses me. "Got 'cha," he declares with a smile.

I stick my tongue out at him. "You know, there are better uses for that tongue of yours," he muses with that gleam in his eyes.

"You are perverted, Mr. Eames," I tell him as my fingers trace his spine, making him shiver. Then I realize how close we are. Butterflies flutter through my stomach.

"Ah, and yet you still love me," he whispers before kissing me. Then he slides his sweatpants down my legs.

Then there's a knock at my door, and I realize he's right. I still love him. Hell, I never stopped. I just thought maybe if I told myself I didn't for a long enough time, it would finally happen. Eames throws his sweatpants on, and then goes to answer the door for me. "I like you better without pants on," I say as I open my suitcase to get clothes.

He's chuckling as he opens the door. I never realized how lovely that sound was until it was no longer there, just filled with a ghost of a memory.

"Eames?" I hear a voice ask.

"Arthur!" Eames exclaims.

I turn around in time to see them standing there awkwardly in silence. "Is, um, my sister up?" Arthur asks, breaking the silence but stumbling over his words. It's cute; I've never seen him at a loss for words.

"Hey Arthur," I greet, coming up behind Eames.

"Hi, Ari. Ready for breakfast?" Arthur asks, trying to ignore Eames' presence.

"It's eleven already?" I turn around to try to find a clock, but I don't find one so I turn back around, successfully looking like an idiot.

Arthur half smiles. "No, but Rhea wants to have breakfast before they leave for their honeymoon."

"Oh! Okay, let me just get dressed," I say, turning around and grabbing a T-shirt and jeans.

"I'm going back to my room now, love," Eames says, kissing my cheek and turning to leave.

"You're not coming down for breakfast?" I ask, my eyebrows turning in and my lips forming a frown.

Eames turns around and studies my face for a second. Then he sighs. "I will meet you down there in twenty minutes, okay?"

I smile, victorious. "Okay!" I kiss him then shove him out the door and pull Arthur in before he can object or back out. Then I close the door.

"What... what is going on with you two exactly?" Arthur asks warily.

"Wha- Nothing," I say with a smile.

"You're a horrible liar," he says with a chuckle as he sits down on the couch.

"What? No! Uh... well... yeah I am; who am I trying to fool?" I say with a laugh as I walk into the bathroom. "Just give me a minute," I call out as I close the door. I get changed and when I finish I look in the mirror. And I look like me. Not Eames-me, just me-me. I comb out my hair, leaving it in waves. I put on some lip gloss and mascara, and leave the bathroom. I grab the scarf that was left in the bottom of my suitcase and find that it matches my shirt, so I put it on. I look at Arthur, content with my appearance.

He has that funky little half smile on his face. "Welcome back, Ari," is all he says as we walk to the elevator.

"You know, I think you should have a nickname. Ree and I have one. How do you feel about Art?"

"No way, Ariadne."

"Artie?" I ask hopefully.

"Ariadne," Arthur warns as we step into the elevator, joining an old lady.

"What about Arth? That's unique!" I suggest, happily tormenting my brother.

He pushes me to the side. "You're the most horrible little sister ever," he says, trying to sound mad, but failing.

"Uh, excuse me Artsy-fartsy, but I might be older than you!"

"There are two things wrong with that statement. One: you just called me Artsy-fartsy. And two: I checked the hospital's logs. I was first," Arthur says a-matter-of-factly.

"Well then, Artie-Smartie," I say, making faces.

Arthur laughs. "I win," he says, trying to get the last word in.

"I win," I mimic in a 'deep' voice. Arthur and I start laughing quietly.

The old woman behind us laughs. "You two are definitely siblings," she comments as she steps out of the elevator and into the lobby.

Arthur and I exchange glances, trying not to burst out laughing. As soon as she walks away, we start laughing hysterically.


	7. Chapter 7: I Never Told You

**A/N: HI (: I was just watchin some football and I was bored because my team's winning by a lot so I started writing. I must not be in a good mood today because this chapter did NOT NOT NOT come out the way I wanted at all, but what can you do? So, just a note: I know earlier I said that Ari lives only like 10 minutes away from the hotel(which is in Boston), but I'm changing that in this chapter. Just a heads-up. I don't own Inception, Ariadne, Arthur, or lovely Eames. I own Rhea and Dave and this story though! WOOT! reviiiewww!**

* * *

_I see your blue eyes every time I close mine. You make it hard to see where I belong to when I'm not around you; It's like I'm not with me._

_-I Never Told You, Colbie Caillat_

"Oh, and by the way, if you say 'Artsy-Fartsy' while Eames is in the room, I will have to kill you," Arthur says seriously as we walk into the restaurant.

"Artsy-Fartsy?" Eames asks, sitting on a chair in the lobby of the restaurant.

Arthur jumps to the side, looking for Eames. Eames is sitting in a chair, right leg propped on his left knee, hands folded together on his lap.

I giggle. Arthur glares at me. "You're a horrible person," he says, storming off.

I laugh. "You said it!" I call after him. Then I look to Eames, who is standing beside me now. "See what you missed?" I ask with a smile.

"You getting dressed?" He whispers in my ear as we walk to the table.

I smile and laugh. "Yes, definitely." I roll my eyes and Eames smiles.

"You two look happy," Rhea comments as we sit down at the table, giving me that look.

"Maybe we are," I challenge.

"I have to go to the bathroom. Ari, will you come with me?" Rhea asks.

"Sure," I say, getting up and following her to the bathroom.

* * *

Eames has an evil smirk on his face as he watches Ari and Rhea head to the bathroom. "So, Artsy-Fartsy," Eames begins, looking at Arthur.

"Eames, do you realize I can kill you with my knife?" Arthur asks, playing with his knife in his hand.

"But, Artsy-Fartsy, darling, why on Earth would you want to kill _me_?" Eames asks innocently.

"Because you are a dick, was a jerk to my sister, and ruined my work environment," Arthur easily answers.

"Correction, Arthur. I _have _a dick. I am not a dick. You Americans have horrible idioms, they make no sense whatsoever."

Arthur glares at him as their waitress comes over.

"Hi, my name is Tiffany and I'll be your waitress. Can I start you off with a drink?" she asks, looking at the three gorgeous men.

"My wife and I will both have coffee," David says.

"Coffee for me," Arthur orders.

"Coffee for me and an orange juice for my..my.. for Ari." Eames orders, looking over the menu.

"I'll be right back," Tiffany says, smiling at Eames and flipping blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Have you talked to her about work at all?" Arthur asks after about a minute of silence.

"Only when she woke up with nightmares this morning," Eames retorts, taking a sip of water.

"Boys, they're on their way back," David says, not asking why Ariadne would wake up with nightmares because of their job.

* * *

Rhea closes the door behind us; locking it and checking to make sure all the stalls are empty.

"Rhea, what's wrong?" I ask warily, eying her movements.

She stops, turns around and looks at me with a weird expression on her face. "I overheard David and William talking this morning. YOU KISSED ARTHUR?"

I take a deep breath. I don't know what I thought she was going to say but that definitely wasn't it. "I didn't know he was our brother at this point in time," I say.

Rhea looks at me with her mouth wide open. "That is so wrong!"

"It wasn't even a kiss-kiss; it was just like a peck. I mean compared to E—"

"Ariadne. No." Rhea says. "I don't want to know about you and William. But I do want to know what you two are going to do," she adds.

"What do you mean?"

"What are you guys doing after today? Is he going back to England?" Rhea checks her hair and makeup in the mirror.

"I-I don't know, Rhea… I never thought about it."

"Maybe you should," she says, shooting me a sympathetic look and walking out of the bathroom. I follow behind her, suddenly saddened by this.

When we approach our table, the three men are talking to a cute little blonde waitress. I slide in the booth next to Eames and Rhea slides in next to David. "And what can I get for you?" she asks Eames after writing someone's order. I don't like the way she's looking at him. She's smiling too brightly.

"Ari, love, will you share this with me?" he asks, showing me a special.

"Yeah, sure. Oh! Orange Juice!" I notice, taking a sip of the yummy juice.

"Yes, I ordered you some earlier. And we will share the special of the day," Eames hands her the menu in his hand and drapes his arm over my shoulders. I lean into him, not looking forward to the conversation we're going to have to have at some point today.

While everyone else orders, Eames whispers in my ear. "How is your orange juice?"

"Very good," I say softly. "When's your flight?" I ask sadly.

"It's at two thirty; I need to leave the hotel at twelve." he says, devouring any hope I had of him staying here.

I just sink into his form and he kisses my head.

"So, Arthur, where are you going after this?" Rhea asks.

"Yes, Artsy-Fartsy, where are you going?" Eames asks with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"I have another two days on my hotel room here," Arthur says, "I think I might stay here for a while."

The rest of breakfast is filled with small talk that I don't pay attention to. I just stay immersed in Eames' warmth.

When everyone finishes eating, Rhea and David get up to leave so they can catch their flight. "I love you, Ariadne," Rhea says as she hugs me tight.

"I love you, too, Rhea," I say as I hold my little sister.

Rhea lets me go and gives a hug goodbye to Arthur and Eames. "Oh, and Ari?" she asks as she and David are heading out of the restaurant. I turn and look at her. "I know you'll make the right decision," she says, turning around and taking David's hand as they go to the elevator.

"Arthur? Meet me at my hotel room at twelve ten?" I ask hopefully.

"Sure, I'll be in Room 701 if you need me," he says, hugging me and leaving the restaurant. Finally, Eames and I are alone.

I turn around, putting my arms around his mid-section. Eames puts his arms around me and holds me. "Come to my room?" he asks. I nod.

We head to the elevator, and Eames leaves his arm around my shoulders. We step into the empty elevator and head to the ninth floor. "I'm going to miss you," I say sadly, looking up at him.

"I am going to miss you too," he says, looking down at me.

I reach up and he bends down a little, so I can kiss him. He kisses me back, slowly, passionately. Everything is tingling, from where Eames' hand sits on my cheek, to my lips. I open my mouth a little wider and Eames' tongue meets mine.

Then the elevator dings and neither of us want to move. Someone clears their throat and I spin around in Eames' arms. A family is just staring at us. Eames and I walk nonchalantly out of the elevator and I follow Eames down the hall and into his room. I sit on the bed as I watch him try to clean all the clothes he has strewn about the room.

"Why are you trying to clean? I used to wash your laundry."

Eames smiles at me sadly and comes over to me. "I have to leave in a few hours, darling," he reminds me before he kisses me.

I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. He easily unhooks my hands and reluctantly pulls away from me. "I have to pack, love," he says, moving away from me. I check the clock. It's eleven forty already. We only have twenty minutes. I get up and help put the rest of his clothes away.

I check the clock. Fifteen minutes left. "Eames?"

"Yes, love?"

"I don't want you to go back to England," I pout. He comes over and kisses me, his arms around my waist. I put my arms around his neck.

He puts his forehead against mine. "I do not want to go back either."

"Then don't," I push.

"I have a job waiting for me when I get back," he says sadly.

"Then why is Arthur staying?" I ask.

"We broke up. We did not have you anymore so we spilt up." I kind of nod. "Come with me," he suggests. "Come back to London with me," he says.

"I can't; I have a job here. I'm working as an architect for a huge firm. I can't uproot my life like that," I reply sadly.

Eames lips crush onto mine and I kiss him back. It isn't slow and passionate like our elevator kiss, it is just pure desperation. Soon my tears get mixed into our kiss, renewing our sense of urgency. The alarm on Eames' phone rings, separating us. "Guess it's time for me to go," he whispers, wiping my tears away.

We walk to the elevator together. We're on my floor in what seems like mere seconds. I turn to Eames. "Keep in touch?" I ask.

He nods. I take his scratchy face in my hands and kiss him. "Goodbye, love," I say and then I walk out of the elevator. "Ariadne!" he calls. I turn around. "I love you!" he says as the doors close. I don't get a chance to respond.

I head to my room, where Arthur is leaning against my door waiting for me.

"Did he go?" Arthur asks softly.

I nod as I open my door. Arthur follows me in. I pack all of my things quickly and sit on the bed for a second.

"Come on, Ari, I'll drive you home. Where are your keys?"

I point to them. "Do you want to stay in the guest room?" I ask.

Arthur nods. "Let's just stop by my room."

I follow Arthur, dragging my bag behind me.

* * *

I sit in the passenger seat of my car as Arthur drives us home. About 40 minutes later we're in the driveway of my home in Lowell, Massachusetts.

I lug my suitcase up the stairs of my two-story house. "Arthur, use the guest room to the right. That can just be your room, I'll give you the extra key and everything," I say before I go into my room and start unpacking. As I'm putting my suitcase away, Arthur knocks on the doorframe.

"Hungry?" he asks. I nod.

We go downstairs to where he has pasta waiting. We start to eat in silence and I decide to talk to him. "I didn't get to tell him, Arthur. He left before I could."

"Tell him what?" Arthur asks.

"That I love him. And now he's on a plane back to England."

"Go." Arthur commands, pulling out his blackberry.

"What?" I ask.

"I just booked you a flight. Go grab some stuff and I'll drive you to the airport." I just stare at him. "Let's go," he says pushing me up the stairs. I dash up the stairs, grab only what's necessary, and then run back down. I get into the car quickly and Arthur drives away.

Arthur parks in a drop-off spot and we get out of the car. He shoves a little bag filled with stuff into my suitcase and hugs me. "Go, Ari. Love you, sis."

"I love you, Arthur," I say with a smile, kissing his cheek and dashing.

* * *

I sit on the plane, thinking about what I'm doing. I get out a notebook and a pen and write Eames a note.

_Je t'aime. -Ariadne._


	8. Chapter 8: I'm Not Saying Goodbye

_You know that you're no good for no one else but me, love, and you're trying not to act so cute with your hands in your pocket and one on your locket. Show me something new._

_-I'm Not Saying Goodbye, A Rocket to the Moon_

* * *

I finally arrive in London. The whole plane ride I listened to my iPod, drumming my fingers on the arm of my seat. I just wanted to get here; to find Eames. But now I'm here. And I'm ready to start again. I grab my little carry-on, the only thing I brought, and walk out of the airport. It's a beautiful night in London, just a little on the cold side. As I start to walk in the direction of Eames' apartment, I get the bag Arthur gave me out of my bag.

Inside of the bag is a key, a cell phone, and cash. I take out the key and turn it over. There's an 'E' on the back. And then I recognize it. It's the emergency key to Eames' apartment.

I take the phone and call Arthur. "How was your flight?" he answers.

"Painful. I thought it would never end," I say as I cross the street, dodging all the cars.

Arthur laughs. "Ari's in lo-ove!" he sings.

"God, stop being such a big brother!" I laugh as I enter Eames' apartment building.

Arthur laughs.

"Okay, well, I'm in Eames' apartment building, I'll let you know when I'm coming home at some point. Bye, Artie!" I slip in at the end.

"Call me that one more time…" Arthur threatens.

"Artie!" I say before hanging up the phone.

I take the key and open the door to Eames' apartment. For a second I think maybe Eames is home, but he's not. I put my bag down and take out the note I wrote on the plane. I put it on the little table where Eames puts his keys.

His apartment is still the same. I didn't expect Eames to change it. The only personal item he keeps is the photo album disguised as a book among books. I take it out. The first picture is of him as a young boy. He's cute, with his current arrogance shown even in his seven-year-old face. Then, on the next page, there's a picture of the team while we were working on inception. Saito had insisted that we take the picture. Then he sent us this book with the newspaper clipping proclaiming: **Robert Fischer Divides Father's Empire**

The next picture is Eames reading a file, evidently unaware that someone was taking his picture. Then there's one of me showing Eames a maze.

The last one is of me and Eames before we broke up. Before we were miserable, before we were stuck in a rut. I realize now that being miserable with him is pointless, horrible for both sides. Being miserable without him just sucks, but now I know what Mal means. "_Do you know what it is to be a lover? To be half of a whole?_" Well, if I ever met her again in Cobb's dreams, I would be able to say, "Yes. Yes I do." Because being happy with him trumps everything I could ever ask for. It trumps being with the brother I never knew I had. It trumps spending every day with someone who loves me and does everything I want without complaining, because that's boring and I couldn't be happy with a boring life. Because, despite Eames and I being opposites, we're two pieces to a puzzle, we complement each other, and whatever I lack he has and whatever he lacks I have. I close the album and change its position, knowing Eames would notice that it's not in its normal position as the second book.

I open my bag, changing my shirt and shoes. I stand up, a little wobbly in my heels. Then I lock the door behind me and head to the bar across the street.

As I open the door to the cozy, familiar bar, a memory hits me.

"_What were your parents on when they named you?" Eames asks with his devilish smirk._

_I smile, slightly tipsy from the margarita in front of me. "My mother was an architect, and my father loved Greek mythology," I say, taking another sip of my drink, even though I know I shouldn't._

"_Well then," Eames says, taking a sip of his scotch._

"_At least my name is interesting! Yours is probably boring…like William!" I say loudly, definitely tipsy now._

_Eames just smiles, not saying anything._

"Ariadne? Is that you?" I hear someone ask. I shake the memory out of my head and turn to see Al.

"Hey, Al," I smile, going over to give him a hug.

"How have you been, how have you been! It has been too long, dear," the owner of the bar says, ushering me to a stool and seating me.

"I've been okay," I answer honestly. I could never lie to Al.

"Well that makes one of you," he says, pouring me some red wine.

I smell the wine, and then take a sip. "Very good," I comment. "Wait, out of whom?"

Al rolls his eyes. "Skip, of course."

"Oh, he hasn't been well? He seems like the same old him," I say, noting the way he entered the room at the dinner rehearsal.

"Ari, you should know him better than anyone. You know it is just a face. He's really a nice lad, arrogance is just a front."

I sigh. "I know, I know."

"I think it was you leaving," Al confides.

"Really?" I ask. Eames really did care that much?

"He came in here a wreck. Eyes red and whatnot. I thought he was high, but I knew he doesn't do that stuff. After a few drinks he told me everything."

"Oh," I say, looking down at my wine.

Al pats my hand and walks away. As I drink my wine, I remember the first time Eames and I actually realized we "liked" each other, on a job God knows how long ago.

_Everyone had gone, even Dom._

"_Ariadne, you should go home, even Cobb has left already," Eames says, walking over to me._

_I cough harshly. "I need to—" But I don't get to finish. Eames trips over a chair and falls into me, sending us crashing to the ground._

"_Ouch," I complain, sniffling. My nose is running and my throat hurts and my head is pounding from hitting the ground._

"_How's your head, love?" He asks with a smile, lifting my head and checking the back. "That is going to hurt in the morning," he whispers, gently putting my head back down on the floor. He doesn't move; we just stay there, tangled on the ground, his lips oh-so-close to mine. And then I realize that I wouldn't mind if he kissed me, I welcome the idea, and it startles me._

"_Can you get off me?" I ask breathlessly._

"_What, do you not like my company?" he pouts._

"_No, you're squishing me!" I laugh._

"_Ah," he says. Then he gets up, taking my hands and pulling me up after._

_Because of the way he pulls me up, we are very close once again. His smell makes my head spin, but in a good way. I start to feel woozy; all my sleepless nights seem to be catching up to me. I place my hands on Eames' chest. "Ariadne?" he warily asks. I don't respond, I just collapse in his arms. "Ari?" I vaguely hear._

_When I wake up, I hear a TV. I slowly open my eyes and don't recognize where I am. I start hyperventilating, trying to sit up._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you," I hear his condescending voice say. I look to the end of the couch I'm lying on and I find Eames with my feet in his lap._

"_Where are we?" I ask tiredly, lying back down._

"_My flat. You fainted on me."_

"_I highly doubt I fainted _on_ you, Eames," I say, closing my eyes._

"_You shouldn't be so sarcastic," he says._

"_You shouldn't be so arrogant," I shoot back._

"_I think you mistake my charm for arrogance," he replies easily._

"_No, I'm sure it's arrogance," I answer._

_He sighs, and I smile, drifting back to sleep, knowing Eames is here to watch over me._

The sound of the door to the bar opening pulls me out of my memory. But I don't hear any footsteps, nor do I see anyone sit down at the bar. I turn to look at who entered, and find Eames standing in the doorway, with a piece of paper clutched in his hand.

"You're here," he half-asks, half-states.

"I am," I confirm, turning in my stool to face him. I feel so collected, my stiletto-legs crossed, my arms crossed, but holding my wine glass to my lips.

"What...what are you doing here?" he asks, pain in his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed.

"It didn't come out right," I say.

"What didn't?" he asks.

"My goodbye."

"I think it came out perfectly fine," he says harshly.

"I don't," I say back, looking at him with determined eyes, placing my glass on the bar and standing up.

Then we notice that we have the attention of the entire bar. "Let's go," he says roughly, grabbing my arm, and dragging me out of the bar.

"Hey! Let me go!" I say loudly as he drags me across the street and to his apartment building. He doesn't respond, he just continues dragging me into the elevator and into his apartment.

He opens the door and flings me into his apartment.

"You should not be here! You said you could not come! I offered you, I didn't just leave!" He yells as he slams the door.

"I know, and I'm sorry!" I yell back.

"Sometimes sorry isn't good enough, Ariadne," he bites back bitterly.

"Listen, you arrogant ass, I came back to tell you that I love you too! And if you'd stop being so pig-headed for two seconds you'd realize that!" He just stares at me. We're silent for a minute. "I…I love you," I repeat self-consciously.

He stands there for a few seconds, staring at me. Then he smiles. He suddenly comes at me, swooping me into his arms and spinning me in a circle. He puts me back on the ground, and because of my heels, I reach just below his face instead of at his chest. He kisses me.

"Ari, Ari, Ari," he whispers over and over again between kisses. "I love you, so damn much," he whispers before kissing me again. "You look beautiful, by the way," he whispers against my neck as he starts untying the bow on the back of my shirt.

I pull away for a second and he pouts. "William? I'm not saying goodbye this time," I tell him before I kiss him.

* * *

**A/N: HOLA FOLKS! I know it's been like a whole week! D: But school and sleeping have like taken over my life. I'm supposed to be writing an essay right now, actually, :X. Anyways, I hope you liked it! I THINK I'm gonna do an epilogue now. Yay or nay, leave me a review and let me know! So, I looked it up and Ari wouldn't be in London until like 11:30 at BEST, but hey, I see Eames as a night owl anyways :) Oh, and I know I said Ari brought a suitcase to London, but ohhhh weellll! Hm.. what else? I think that tis it! As usuale, I don't own Inception, Dom, Arthur, Ari, Eames, Saito, or I'm Not Saying Goodbye by A Rocket to the Moon(a GREAT song, I suggest listening to it while you read! Oh wait. You already read. Well, hey, reading again never hurts.. haha okay, I'm a little sleep deprived I guess. (: ) ANYWAYS if you read you really should review so I know you like/love(hopefully the latter) and then I know I NEED to make an epilogue! And Miss Caitie Jo: You reviewing four+ times will NOT meet this week's need for four reviews, sorry darling! hahaaha, anyways, review, because thaat's all the motivation I need to write! Oh, and I just realized I've NEVER said this:: But THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH to those of you who take the time to review, you're super duper awesome ninjas in my book :D and to those who favorite/alert, you're super awesome samuris :) and to those who read, thanks you're...uhm...awesome pirates! yeah! Let's go with that! So be a super duper ninja and review (;**


	9. Epilogue: Valentine

_**But if this is my dying breath, I just want you to hear me, hear me say 'I love you' one last time. So will you be my Valentine for forever not one day, 'cause when this day is over know my feelings haven't changed.**_

_**-Valentine, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**_

"Will you be my valentine?" he asks me.

_I open my eyes, looking around for Eames' warmth. "Morning, love," I hear him say._

_I look up and see him getting dressed. "Where are you going?" I ask tiredly._

"_I am on a job," he reminds me, buttoning up one of his God-awful shirts._

"_When I decide to wake up, I'm hiding those shirts and I'm taking your credit card and buying you new shirts," I tell him, closing my eyes._

"_And then I will find the old shirts, take them back, and then tie you up with the new shirts so you can't get out again," he says, probably with a smirk on his face._

_I hear him walking towards me so I open my eyes and smirk at him with my eyebrows raised. "That sounded far worse in my head," he admits before he kisses me._

_I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him back down to my level. "Don't go," I whisper against his lips._

"_You're going to make me late, darling."_

"_Since when are you on time?" I counter, kissing him again._

"_Bloody hell woman. Can't you let me win _one _argument?"_

"_Never," I say as he falls onto the bed._

I smile. "Of course," I whisper, like I have so many times before.

He smiles back and kisses me.

"Could you not?" Gina asks.

"Don't be a baby, darling," Eames tells her.

She just rolls her eyes and turns back to her phone.

"Where's your brother?" he asks.

"How would I know?" Gina asks, still typing away on her phone.

Eames bites his lip. "Deep breaths," I remind him as I get up to find Tom.

"THOMAS!" I holler up the stairs.

"What?" he yells back.

"Let's go, we're going to be late!"

"Okay, okay! Listen, babe, I have to go," he says into his phone, closing his door.

"I want to meet this mysterious girlfriend," I complain.

"Maybe it's a boy," Gina says passively.

"Gina!" Eames chastises. Gina smirks and Eames drums his fingers on the arm of the couch in annoyance.

_ "Would you like to know the genders?" the ultra-sound technician asks._

"_Yes," I say at the same time Eames says "No. I want to be surprised."_

"_Then you can go in the other room while this nice lady tells me the gender of our children," I snap._

_He sighs, "fine," and walks out of the room._

"_They...are...both boys!" she says. I just smile._

_Later that day..._

"_I like Gina for a girl," Eames says, looking up from his computer._

"_Why are you picking out girl names?" I ask, confused, looking up from the book I'm looking in._

"_Because it might be a girl?" Eames asks back, equally confused._

"_But the technician said they were both boys, remember?" And then I realize that Eames wasn't there for that. "Oops..." I smile at him while he glares at me. Then he starts to tickle my side, the only ticklish part of my entire body. "No, William," I laugh, "Stop! Stop!" but he doesn't, and I keep laughing._

"Ari?" Eames asks as I sit down next to him, reclaiming my spot on the couch. I look at him with sad eyes.

He understands and pulls me into him. I try not to cry. Especially in front of Gina. Because I know she loves her brothers...loved...loves... Oh whatever.

"I'm ready, Mom," Tom says, walking down the stairs.

"_Ooh, look at this! 'Lil bro's going off to college! Bon voyage! Au revior! We won't miss you!" Henry says and laughs, picking up a couple of Tom's bags and bringing them out to Tom's car._

_"You know you're crying inside, Hen," Tom says._

_"Oh, yes, I'm crying as hard as Gina does when she watches Titanic."_

_"What's that?" Tom asks._

_"The movie with the dude who looks like Uncle Dom. You need to know this stuff so you can take the girls at college by storm, Tommy boy!" Henry answers._

"_If only you'd come with me, then I could really take the girls at college by storm," Tom says half-sarcastically and half-seriously, opening his trunk and packing the bags in._

"_And leave Mom?" Henry counters in a whisper, afraid I can hear.. Which I can. He always forgets that I hear everything they say in the garage because of where my drawing room is. He also always forgets that there's a window I can see them through._

"_I know, I know," Tom says. "Take care of yourself," Tom says, patting Henry on the back._

"_I'll try," Henry promises._

I smile at Tom. He has a blue polo and slacks on. I imagine tattoos trailing his arms, and Henry appears in front of me. "Mom?" he asks, his grey eyes telling me to wake up because he's not Henry and Henry's not coming back.

"Everyone ready?" I ask, standing up and getting my keys and purse.

"I've been ready, we were just waiting for Drama Queen," Gina points out, shooting a look to Tom. "You're a brat, Queen Bee," Tom fires back. "You're-"

"Enough! Bloody hell, Gina, can it!" Eames says, snatching the keys out of my hand. "I've had enough of you today, what's the matter, did your boyfriend break up with you?" he continues.

"No, he just cheated on me. But thanks for bringing it up," Gina flips and walks out the front door, slamming the door in the process.

"Nice one, Pops," Tom says with an evil wag of his eyebrows. Eames playfully pulls him into a headlock as I go out to talk to Gina.

"Gi?" I ask, sitting on the swing next to her. She turns her tear-streaked face away from me.

"Kate just uhm, texted me. Jake hooked up with Sammi when he got home from the p-party after...after H-Henry's funeral," she stammered, breaking down into tears. I pulled her into me, combing her hair with my fingers like I used to do when she was little. "I miss him, Mom," she says.

"I do too, Gina... I do too."

_"Mr. and Mrs. Eames?" a doctor asks as she walks into the waiting room where we sit._

_"Yes?" Eames answers._

_"Hi, I'm Henry's doctor, Dr. Kathy Sheehan. Come into my office?" She leads us down a hallway, and then through a door. I'm shaking, unsure of how to handle what she's about to say. Eames rubs circles into my hand with his thumb. I squeeze his hand in response. "Please, sit down," she says, pointing to two chairs. We sit down, still holding hands. "I'm afraid I have some very bad news...Henry has cystic fibrosis."_

_I burst into tears, taking my hand away from Eames and hiding my face with it. Henry can't die._

_"Wha-What is that?" Eames asks. __The doctor explains it, but I don't listen. I already know what it is. "The bottom line is that Henry will live to around 30 at the most, but the risk...the risk is always there. I'm so sorry, I wish I had better news."_

_I'm still crying and Eames has tears in his eyes as we walk out of the doctor's office._

"Don't cry, baby. You know Henry wouldn't want you to. He was okay with it... He accepted it. He'd known since he was 14 that it could happen one day, and he was with peace when it finally did," I whisper. Gina nods, letting go of me.

"I never liked Jake, anyways," I tell Gina.

She laughs. "I know. Neither did Dad or Tom..or Henry. Henry told me our relationship was a walking time bomb."

"He had your father's way with words," I laugh.

She wipes her eyes, carefully avoiding her make-up. "Uncle Arthur's gonna kill us," Gina says with a giggle.

"Oh, he's always mad at me," I shrug, and Gina and I walk back into the house.

"OW!" Tom cries from the living room. I run in, and find Eames on top of him.

"WILLIAM!" I cry, pulling him off. "What the hell are you doing?"

Tom jumps up and grins. "Chill, Mama Bear. We're just playing," he tells me.

I narrow my eyes at my husband and son. "We're late enough, please just get in the car."

* * *

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" Everyone shouts as we walk into Arthur's house.

I smile. "Thanks, guys, sorry we're late," I say. "But when are we on time?" Eames adds, going to Arthur and shaking his hand.

"Happy anny, sis!" Rhea says, hugging me. "Thanks," I smile.

"Ariadne!" someone calls from the door. I turn. "DOM! Dom Cobb? Hey!" I go over to him and I hug him. "What are you doing here?"

"Haven't been out in over a year, I figured I'd come over for your anniversary," he smiles, shaking Eames' hand when he comes over.

"Hey, Aunt Ari!" Phillipa says, blond hair shining. "I have someone for you to meet!" She says excitedly. "Who?" I ask. She holds up a car seat and takes off the blanket. "Henry Dominic!" Inside the carseat is a little baby with a little bit of white-blond hair and big blue eyes. "He was born two weeks ago," she says proudly as her husband, John, comes up behind her. "You can hold him," she says.

I take Little Henry out of the car seat. "Hi, hi, how are you baby boy?" I coo, giving him my finger to play with. "He's beautiful, Phillipa," I tell her. She just smiles in response.

"Ma!" Tom calls from outside. I hand Henry to Phillipa and go outside. Standing next to Thomas is a medium-tall girl with fiery red hair. "Momma Bear, this is my girlfriend Jenny. Jenny this is my mom."

"It's great to meet you, Mrs. Eames," Jenny says, holding out her hand.

I shake her hand. "You make her feel old darling, just call her Ari," Eames says as he comes up from me. "Oh, and I'm Thomas' adoptive father, William." Eames winks at her.

Jenny laughs, which just so happens to be a very pretty sound. "It's good to meet you, Mr. Eames. I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh no, that's never good," he kids. "Why don't you come in, there's enough food to feed an army."

Jenny smiles. "I'd love to, thank you."

Tom takes her inside to introduce her to everyone else. "I like her," Eames says.

"I do too," I say, staring at the pond at the side of the house, seeing Henry and Tom and Rhea's daughter Rose running around it, feeding the ducks and trying to skip rocks. I see Eames teaching Gina how to ice skate while Henry and Tom skate circles around them, passing a puck back and forth.

"Ari, let's go inside, it's cold and we can't miss our own anniversary party. After all, it has been 25 long years," he winks. I give him a playful push as we walk back inside.

_"So it's decided then? First is Henry William, then Thomas Arthur?" I ask. Eames smiles and nods._

_"Ari?" he asks. "Hmm?" I ask, turning and looking at him._

_We're sitting together on the couch, hot chocolate in our hands and our legs wrapped in a blanket._

_"Will you be my valentine?" he asks, pulling a pink bear out of nowhere._

_"You know I don't believe in Valentine's Day," I tell him, not accepting the bear._

_"Well, I guess it's a good thing that I want you to be my valentine for forever, and not just one day then, hm?" he asks, that mysterious glint in his eyes._

_I smile and take the bear. "Fine, I will be your valentine."_

_"Thank you. Oh, and happy anniversary."__

* * *

_

**A/N: AWWW MUSHINESS! hahaaha. So I guess you guys might be possibly wondering what the hell took me so long. Well here's the answer: School has taken over my life. If I'm not sleeping, I'm at school. Or doing homework. Or eating. SO, SORRY! This also took about 5 rough drafts, but I like how it came out! In case you didn't catch on, the italics are all flashbacks! As usual, I don't own anything. Except this amazing story! ;D. Thanks to all the super duper awesome ninjas for reviewing, the super awesome samuris for favoriting/alerting, and the awesome pirates for reading(; Please, review if you haven't been reviewing since this is your last chance. Please? Please? Please? Thanks if you do! Love you guys! :)**

**-lovinlife83**


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